


A Woman Just Knows

by twowritehands



Category: While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Genre: Banter, Clumsiness, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Happily Ever After written out in painstaking detail, Headcanon that Lucy is a virgin, Just imagine Jack's face, Laughter, The Entire Callaghan Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25342030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twowritehands/pseuds/twowritehands
Summary: How did this happen in one week? How could she know like this? But she did. She knew it whenever he made her laugh, or when his lips tilted with that crooked grin, or when his hair flopped in his eyes, or when his calloused hands brushed over the tender skin of her arms or wrists or throat, she just knew. She knew the world was right there in reach, and just for her.After getting her to agree to marry him, Jack brings Lucy back to his place.OrLucy and Jack laugh together as they somewhat awkwardly navigate being engaged after knowing each other only a week.
Relationships: Jack Callaghan/Lucy Moderatz
Comments: 11
Kudos: 59





	1. Engagement

**Author's Note:**

> Finally writing fic for the best romantic comedy of all time. Show me a better love interest than Jack Callaghan. Oh, that's right, ya can't.

Four hours ago, Jack and Lucy had their first kiss after Lucy said yes to his marriage proposal and now, incredibly, she was seeing where he lived for the first time. Because as it turned out, life came upside down sometimes. But in a good way. Like a snow globe, it was maybe supposed to go upside down to make the magic happen.

Jack lived in a repurposed mechanic’s garage. The first floor was his workshop where there was a layer of sawdust on everything and the faint lingering smell of freshly stained wood. He had several pieces in various stages of development. Up a somewhat precarious staircase, a living area was carefully quarantined off from the threat of sawdust by a wall of dusty glass windows and a sliding glass door. Inside, the space was small. His kitchen was crammed into one corner. The back of his couch sat up against the foot of the bed. 

Two walls were glass. Two were exposed brick. But there was a skylight, a decent sized window looking onto a fire escape, and surprisingly more than one thriving potted plant. Baseball memorabilia hung on the walls. A picture of the whole Callaghan clan was on top of the TV. And on the coffee table was what looked like a station where little blocks of wood had been whittled by someone sitting in on the couch.

"Cozy," Lucy chuckled.

"I know it's not much."

"Cozy is good," Lucy said, removing her winter layers.

He puffed out a subconscious laugh, shrugging out of his jacket. Then all at once he hurried to sweep up the little wood shavings at the whittling station. "I'm uh. I'm teaching myself how to carve little… uh. Decorative kind of--"

Lucy snatched one up and grinned at a kind of lopsided bear face that seemed to emerge from the block of wood.

"Awe he's cute."

Jack took the bear back. "Nah, he's what happens when cousins get married."

Lucy laughed and couldn't help the snort. Jack chuckled, too, tossing the carving aside without any ceremony. His shining eyes had locked on Lucy and as the mirth in them settled, something else emerged.

Heat. Whole bodies. Moving in. Wanting. Accepting.

Would Lucy ever get used to the whole body rush of Jack taking her in his arms, kissing her, holding her close?

How did this happen in one week? How could she know like this? But she did. She knew it whenever he made her laugh, or when his lips tilted with that crooked grin, or when his hair flopped in his eyes, or when his calloused hands brushed over the tender skin of her arms or wrists or throat, she knew. She just knew the world was right there in reach, and just for her.

Falling onto his couch while kissing was not smooth. They knocked their lips painfully against each other's teeth, said "Ow" in unison and then dissolved into laughter while rearranging into a more comfortable position.

Prone under him, feeling his whole body wanting her in a way that made her dizzy, she couldn't get comfortable until she dug--a wooden Santa out from under her hip.

They laughed again. He took the ornament from her and flung it over his shoulder. Something crashed. Glass definitely broke.

"Oh no!" they cried together, and she tried to sit up, knocking her head into his chin.

Pain bloomed but also laughter. So much laughter.

He sat back on his haunches, massaging his jaw and giving her the space to sit up as she rubbed her forehead.

"This is not going as well as I'd hoped," Jack blushed through his embarrassed laughter. "I promise there isn't usually this level of pain when I begin to make love."

She collapsed back, laughing. "Well, you've never made love to a Moderatz before. We're classic klutzes."

"Nah," he climbed back over her but with a decided air of the careful, "That's not it. I've seduced mountains of Moderatzes."

She snorted and giggled, putting her fingers through his hair. "Mountains, huh?"

"Yeah," he kissed her neck, "it's the group term. School of fish. Flock of geese..."

"Mountain of Moderatzes." They said together and descended into giggles.

"What's the group term for Callaghans?" she asked.

"Chattering," he lifted his face to aim his crooked grin at her. "When it's more than one Callaghan, you've got a chattering of Callaghans."

She howled. His hands went up the front of her shirt, rough palms skimming lightly up her stomach and across her ribs. As he brushed her nipples through her bra, she lost her nerve.

"OK, I have to confess something?"

"You've only been pretending to be a token booth worker this whole time because of a misunderstanding."

She made a fist and whacked him in the shoulder. He cackled and kissed her. His whole mouth melding with hers was almost enough to wash away her anxiety.

"What is it?" he asked in a whisper.

"I'm…" she was breathless and unsure, "Um… I'm out of practice with the whole… Um. The making love part."

His lips left her skin and he lifted his face again, raised an eyebrow. "How long out of practice?"

She blushed. "Like my whole life?"

He looked stunned. Jaw almost literally hitting the floor stunned. "Wha? You've never...uh…?"

She bit her lip and wrinkled her nose. "I was always awkward and shy. And then I was busy with dad and… I always wanted it to be, you know, something real. Something special." she scoffed in embarrassment. "I know it's not sexy that I have no idea what I'm doing. I thought I could. You know. Pretend my way through it. But I--i--i don't want to pretend anything with you ever again and so…"

He kissed her, squarely and firmly and didn't stop until she had relaxed into it and kissed him back. At length he pulled away, but he didn't go far. Forehead to forehead, he breathed her breath. 

"Lucy," his whisper was a rough kind of husky sound. "I'm glad you told me."

His hair was so soft between her fingers. "I want you to know everything about me," she whispered.

He kissed her again and again. But then he pulled his lips away, and then his body. He sat up, pulled her up, and into his lap. Straddling him, she felt beautiful as he combed her hair from her face. Looking into the promise of his eyes was almost too much. But as soon as she looked away, she looked back. She couldn't help it.

"Something real," Jack whispered. "Something special." he kissed her and ran his knuckles along her jawline. "We have that."

She nodded, giggling. "We really do."

"Never felt like this before," he gushed. It was an honest-to-god gush. He kissed her and giggled through the kiss. Breaking away, he cupped her face, "I wanna give you every dream you've ever had. No matter what it costs me."

Lucy knew he would. She felt it. All she had to do was ask.

"Can we wait until our wedding night?"

He huffed like a ball to the gut but it was laughter, "I knew you wanted that."

Lucy was horrified. "Am I that much of a prude?"

He chuckled. "No, no you're not a prude. You're a romantic. And you're a classy lady. I love those things about you. And if you want to wait then I'll wait. You know, so long as we get married in like a week."

She laughed and shoved his shoulder. "What if I want a long engagement?"

He hesitated. His breath caught. He made a high kind of whine sound in his throat. "OK...If that's what you want..."

Jack looked almost like he was in physical pain. He was so cute. She couldn't help but giggle and kiss him before letting him off the hook. "Lucky for you I don't actually want a long engagement."

He expelled a hard rush of breath, "Thank god," and kissed her. His hands roamed over her. "Say you'll marry me just as fast as mom and Mary can plan the outrageously big wedding."

"Faster," Lucy whispered. "I don't want a big wedding."

"Jesus, you're perfect." he kissed her and kissed her and his hands worked back up under her shirt. His touch electrified her. Even her toes tingled. But she wasn’t ready. Not really.

"Should I go?" Lucy asked. She didn't leave his lap though. She didn't know where to find that kind of strength.

"No, no, stay," his hands came out from under her clothes. "I'll behave myself. Just stay. Please."

Lucy smiled, tracing his lips with a fingertip. She tried to imagine going back to her apartment and spending the rest of her evening engaged but alone. "I don't want to go."

"Then don't go. I can control myself. Don't go."

"Okay," she whispered, allowing him to dislodge her from his lap. They settled in each other's arms on the couch, and he fished the remote from the cushions. She reached for it. He snatched it away. 

She snorted with laughter and watched him flip through channels. When he passed a show she really liked, she objected and made another play for the remote that turned into a playful wrestling match. She was having so much fun she didn't even care about the remote.

"Okay. Compromise," he said, surrendering the remote. "We watch your show and during the commercials we flip to the game. I just want to keep track of the score anyway."

"Mkay."

They resettled this time with Jack upright on one end, and Lucy stretched across the couch with her feet in his lap. He took off her shoes and tried to tickle her. She wrinkled her nose. "Not ticklish."

"Wha? Impossible. Everyone's ticklish _somewhere_."

"Oh yeah? Where are you ticklish?"

He kept his chin level, cut his eyes over to her slyly. "I'm not telling you."

"What, cmon? Am I going to have to find out the hard way?" she sat up and poked his ribs to no effect. 

"I don't think you'll find it til the wedding night."

Lucy broke down into snorts and giggles, face flushed. He chuckled and then laughed with her. "And I'll bet we'll find one or two spots on you."

His eyes held promises again, and her body felt strange. Like she was strong and weak at the same time. There was a deep longing, an almost physical ache. She had never felt like this about anyone ever. She enjoyed it, and didn’t see the point in rushing ahead when wading in was this much fun. Heart racing, Lucy cleared her throat and swatted hair out of her face. "Okay. Um. Dinner? We should eat."

She vaulted off the couch toward his little kitchen. Jack didn't stand up right away, rubbing his knees and breathing deeply.

Oh my god, oh my god. Lucy breathed steadily until the shakes subsided. 

"There's a frozen pizza I think. Or maybe some kind of pasta," he said conversationally.

She checked the freezer and found classic pepperoni. "Pizza's good." she turned the oven on and tore into the box. Jack got up and located the pizza pan for her. He kept direct contact to a minimum. Probably wise at this point.

The pizza cooked as they watched the hospital show. Jack didn't complain and even asked questions that proved he was paying attention to the plot. Lucy always promptly switched to the game at the first commercial break, and asked her own questions. He explained a weird hockey rule, fist pumped when the red team blocked a shot, and then flapped a hand, 

"Okay now back, back. We gotta see if doc can save the little girl."

Lucy flipped back just in time to catch the show's return. She nudged Jack with her foot. "Hey. I love you."

He swelled and looked over at her. "I love you, too."

The egg timer dinged. He jumped up. "I got it, hon. Turn it up for me."

She notched up the volume feeling like a million bucks. 

After dinner, she helped do the dishes. Jack booped her nose with some suds. She whipped him with the dish towel. 

"Stay the night." he said suddenly. "We can toss a coin to see who gets the bed."

"I'd love to but I... I should get home. My cat needs her dinner."

"Next time, then. Bring the cat."

"Really?"

"I should get to know my own step cat, don't you think?"

She snorted, and pulled him in for a chaste kiss that teetered on the edge of a breakneck fall into passion. But they both restrained themselves. For Lucy it was like the exhilarating drop of a roller coaster followed immediately by another climb. _Fun_.

She put her shoes back on. He helped her into her coat, pulled her hair out of the collar for her. She smiled up at him. "This was really, really great. Probably the best night of my life."

His eyes lingered on hers, brimming with hope. "Mine too. I can't wait for you to be my wife."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Jack. I can't wait to be part of the Chattering."

He giggled. "Ok. Get in the truck."

***

The phone rang at 8 the next morning. Lucy had to get out of bed to answer it. Despite yesterday being her last day at the job, she was fully expecting Jerry asking her to please please come in and cover a shift.

"Hello?"

"Lucy. It's Midge. Can you talk?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"I know you don't care for a big big wedding, but you need a new dress, at least. So what do you say to some wedding dress shopping in the city with us girls?"

"Oh, Midge. That sounds wonderful. Yeah. I'd really love that. Today?"

"Today! Oh how terrific. Mary, she said yes. Go tell Ma it's today. We'll meet ya at the Bridal shop, say at 9?"

"9 is perfect."

Midge squealed. "I'm so excited! See you, sweetie."

***

In an actual wedding dress, Lucy stepped out of the changing room and Mary cried, "YES!"

Midge and Elsie both agreed. 

"Stunning."

"So beautiful, Lucy. Jack is just going to love you in that."

"Really?" she went to the mirrors, a little surprised by the elegant bride looking back at her.

White, long sleeved, trumpet cut silk with embroidered and beaded embellishments made her look like an actual bride and feel like a real princess. Her eyes misted over. 

"This is the one."

Mary's jaw dropped. "But you haven't tried on anything else."

"I don't need to. I just know."

"A woman just knows," Elsie said. 

"Let's try on the veils, " Midge said. 

Lucy nodded. "Okay."

Mary still looked disappointed. "But how do you know there isn't a better dress here?"

"Because this one feels the way Jack makes me feel." Her voice wavered with emotions that she swallowed.

Midge nearly started crying with happiness but controlled herself. "Shoes. You won't be able to see them but they're still important."

Mary sighed. "Don't ya want to try on more, just for fun?"

Lucy combed the girl's hair behind her shoulder. "Nope. But I promise when we come back here for you--y'know in like fifteen years--I will patiently let you try on every dress in the place."

"Fifteen years? No way. I'm getting married in my twenties."

"You should _only_ get married when you find the One, and don't rush it. Take it from me. It's _so_ worth the wait."

Mary's eyes glittered. "Really?"

Lucy started crying. "Yeah. When I'm with Jack--" she covered her nose and mouth.

"Oh! If you start, I'm going to," Midge warned, hugging her so tight. Lucy let the floodgate open. Midge wailed softly in her ear as they rocked side to side.

"Ma, people are staring," Mary whispered, pained.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, wiping her eyes. "I'm just so happy."

And she missed her dad so much it hurt.

Midge dabbed at her eyes and scoffed at Mary's embarrassment. "Relax. People cry in wedding dresses. If ya don't cry, it's not the one."

Elsie arrived with three different veils. Lucy eyed them all and picked the winner. Mary was openly bummed that Lucy would not try on a second option of anything.

Midge was amused, and Elsie just kept saying, "A woman _knows_."

But then, they got to the shoe department. 

"Shoes are my weakness," Lucy admitted while trying on the sixteenth pair.

Mary, having a blast arguing about styles and heel height, sparkled. "Mine too!"

Lucy finally settled on a pair that instantly became an heirloom when Mary asked if she could borrow them for her own wedding. 

"Only if you find the man and the dress that makes you cry." Lucy said.

"Deal!"

Elsie clapped her hands together business like. "Lingerie next."

"Ma!"

"It's tradition. She'll want Jack to see something he's not seen yet on the wedding night."

"Ah, gross," Mary said.

Midge chuckled.

"Actually, Jack and I haven't yet. I'm a virgin."

All three women froze and stared at her. Elsie looked the most skeptical. "Really?"

"What? It's normal to wait, right?"

"Of course," Midge said, shaking out of it first.

"It was normal in my time, but I thought the rules had changed," Elsie said. 

"They did," Mary said. "Lucy, how have you gone this long?"

Regretting she said anything, Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's not like I vowed to wait until I turned 30. I just wanted a special guy, and then my dad got sick and that stuff suddenly wasn't important. And meeting Jack the way I did…" they all laughed. 

Lucy shrugged. "It's just not that hard to wait when you don't date all that much."

"But you're pretty and smart. How come no one asked you out?"

Lucy tittered. "Guys would ask me out all the time, but I never said yes just because they asked. Most of them were creeps or just not what I was looking for."

"Lucy has standards," Midge simplified.

"Yeah. It's important to have standards or else the world just happens to you, instead of you happening to the world."

"Huh," Mary said, deep in thought. 

Midge held Lucy back and waited until Mary was out of earshot to whisper, "Thank god for you, Lucy. She listens to you because you're not her mom. Keep helping me!"

Lucy winked. Midge wrinkled her nose with a smile and they caught up. 

At the end of the shopping spree, the total price was a hard blow to take. Though Midge insisted it was well below common expectation for a bride, and was happy to pitch in, Lucy made up her mind. 

"Listen, guys, that's all, okay? I just want a small, small ceremony. Very inexpensive like before."

"Fine. All that's really left is the cake."

"A small cake. I'll even bake it myself. I want all the money to go toward the honeymoon."

"Oooh, have you two decided where--"

"Florence, Italy." she cut Elsie off. "Sorry. But I'm just so excited! I've _always_ wanted to go."

"Italy!?" Mary exclaimed. "Oh how romantic."

"Like I said. Worth it."

Midge winked at her.

***

Peter made Jack try on a third tux that looked exactly like the first and second. Jack dropped his hands. "What's the difference here?"

"Are you kidding?"

"No. Just, let's get this one. What's it matter anyway?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Fine. Jacob, we'll take this one. Thank you." He began adjusting seams and smoothing the fabric over his shoulders. "At least let me give you a real bachelor party."

"God. No thanks."

"No Thanks?"

"Strippers are the last thing I need right now. Trust me."

"What's that supposed to mean? Would Lucy fly off the rails? Did she forbid it or something?"

Jack exhaled, grinning. "She forbade something alright."

Peter met his eye and the understanding passed between them.

Peter choked. "No. No you can't be marrying a woman you've never even--?!"

"Oh yes I can. And it is…." he let out a deeply satisfied half growl sigh. "You know that kind of pain you get as you long for something you want but can't have? It's got like a sweet edge to it?"

"No," Peter frowned. "I get the things I want."

Jack huffed. Not surprised. 

Peter straightened lapels. "Doesn't it make sense to test drive before you buy?"

"Lucy isn't a car. And trust me. I like it this way. She's just… she's… She's something special, Peter."

Dubious to the bone, Peter shook his head. "Sounds like I dodged a real bullet. But you know what, Ma and Pop like her too much. I should have seen right away that she isn't for me."

Jack snorted. "I don't get that. Why do you live to piss them off? Not that I'm complaining. If you had married her--" he couldn't bring himself to admit what would have happened. He only knew an affair would have been inevitable. And they were both better than that. Jack smiled. "I would have had no choice but to kill you. Cain and Abel style."

Peter laughed. "Thank god it hasn't come to that. Well, since you’re fit to explode, I guess that means no strippers. Scout's honor."

"Hmmhmm," Jack said, knowing just how long Peter had managed as an honest boy scout. A naked woman was definitely going to jump out of a cake at some point. He would have to watch his alcohol intake, then.

Peter kept scoffing and shaking his head. Jack's pride reared up, and the brag slipped out before he could stop it, "She's a virgin y'know."

Peter's jaw practically hit the floor. "I don't believe it.... Actually, I do believe it. I think that's what it is about her I couldn't figure out!" 

Full of pride and feeling like a king, Jack adjusted his collar in his reflection and jumped his eyebrows. "See what I mean? She's…" Jack couldn't find a word to sum up her classy romanticism. And it was hard to breathe as he tried to measure what she meant to him. 

Peter's face became wistful. "I've never had a virgin." He frowned, seeming regretful. "Maybe I shouldn't have let her go so easy."

Jack's lips smacked. "Well it's not like it makes her any different than when you didn’t want to marry her. She’s not, I don't know, more valuable than you thought."

"You're the one bragging about it."

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant…” Jack sighed. He didn’t know what he meant. He did know that he’d wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone ever, and that was even when he’d believed she’d most recently slept with Peter. So it clearly didn’t matter to him one way or the other what she did with her body, he would always love her. But the fact that she had _waited_ all this time… Jack scoffed. “I don’t know, it just makes us, the two of us together _for the rest of our lives_ ,” he squinted, “It makes us more… special."

Peter grunted. After a minute, he scoffed and shook his head. "How is a girl that cute still a virgin? Was she a nun or something?"

"Alright," Jack clipped, "Drop it. And don't tell anyone else. I shouldn't have even told you. I swear to god, Peter, if you creep out on her about this--"

"C’mon, give me more credit than that, please." Peter demanded. Jack relented. It couldn't be denied that his brother was always a perfect gentleman in mixed company. 

He thumped Jack on the back. "I'm happy for you."

***

Lucy carried Mel and a shoebox full of kitty litter into the workshop. It was loud inside thanks to the machine that Jack was using to make a table leg. She watched him apply different types of sharp objects to the spinning log, carving curves and swirls out of wood like butter. 

He stopped and dusted the leg, finally spotting her. "Lucy!"

"Hi. My key works."

"Great!" he came over for a hello kiss and grinned down at the fluffy cat. "And this must be Mel."

"Yes. Want to meet Daddy, sweet kitty?"

Jack's breath wavered at the title, but he took the cat from her willingly. He began to purr sweet nothings to the animal, but almost instantly, she sank her claws into his neck. Jack tensed, "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Sorry! Sorry! Bad kitty," she admonished, taking Mel back and turning her loose. 

Jack was bleeding and trying to laugh it off, but he was clearly not amused. Lucy winced. "Let me clean that. I'm so sorry. She doesn't actually get handled by other people very much."

They went upstairs, and she dabbed peroxide on the deepest scratch. Jack hissed, and she blew on his neck. His entire body tensed in a different way, and his knuckles became white where he gripped the counter. She pretended not to notice, and gently taped a bandaid over it. 

"Better?"

He eventually exhaled and cleared his throat. "Yeah. So. How did shopping go with my mom?" 

"Oh. It was a blast. Did you find a tux?"

"Yep. And a minister and two simple gold bands like you wanted."

"That's so great. Then I guess we're done, because your mom offered to let us get married in the house, and I said that would be great. Are you okay with that?"

Jack frowned, "You don't want a church wedding?"

A pang went through her chest at the thought of the big beautiful church where her mother married her father. "Not really."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Only you told me the story your dad always told you."

Dammit. It was getting hard to remember what all she told him. They shared so much without even trying. "I know. I know. But that place is booked. I mean we'd have to wait months and the cost--"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about any of that stuff. I'll wait as long as it takes for you to have your dream wedding." he said it like a knight vowing to cut off his own hand to please his queen. She snickered quietly as he continued, "And money is no object--"

"You're sweet but _of course_ money is an object, Jack. We're building a brand new company here. _And_ I'd rather have Florence than a church wedding."

Jack held his breath, caressed her jaw, and then rumbled, "It's your dad isn't it? He won't be there to walk ya down the aisle so you don't want any of that."

Her throat tightened. Her eyes stung. She looked away and nodded. Jack hugged her tight and kissed her hair. She hugged back and swallowed until she regained her voice, 

"Do you want a church wedding?"

His voice rumbled in his chest against her chest. "I just want you to be my wife. I don't care how it happens."

"Good," she sniffed. "Me either. Plus, y'know, we met in that house. I thought it'd be nice to get married on the stairs. Where the mistletoe was hanging?"

He tightened the squeeze and lifted her. "That's so perfect I can't believe I didn't think of it myself."

"So. When's the date?"

"I guess that depends on when the soonest flight to Florence is."

She laughed happily with excitement. "Then tomorrow we will meet with a travel agent and make the final decision."

This was Chicago. Booking a same day flight to Italy would not be hard to manage. 

Jack bumped their noses together. She kissed him, basking in the warmth of his embrace and the smell of sawdust and sweat. She inhaled. Deeply. He delved further into her mouth, and the next thing she knew she was on the counter with her legs hooked around him. 

She kissed the tender cat scratches and pulled away, "Jack."

"I know. I've got it. I just love kissing you."

"And you can keep kissing me, but you set me on top of the," she pulled whatever it was from beneath her. A full loaf of bread flat as a pancake.

"Whoops." he tried to mash the loaf back into shape. "Oh well."

She tossed the bread aside. They smiled at each other from an inch away. He combed her hair again. She ran her fingers through the short hairs on the nape of his neck.

He tensed and jerked, caught her hand, "Not so fast." he kissed her wrist. "You don't get to tickle me til I can tickle you."

She bit her lip, truly wavering on her idealistic pledge. They were basically getting married tomorrow. What would a few hours difference make?

"Jack?" She marched her fingers up his shirt buttons. He caught her other hand. "Lucy. I don't think we should advance this relationship any further until… your cat accepts me."

His initial tone had alarmed her, but now she laughed again. "Fair enough."

They made pasta for dinner, and Lucy taught him how to play with a cat. He was as transfixed with the laser pointer as Mel was, and Lucy thought she might end up going to bed with the pair still playing with it. She came out of the bathroom in pajamas with her teeth brushed. Jack was on the edge of his seat, wiping the laser around. 

"Oh-ho! Did ya see what she did, Hon? Did ya see that? It was a total midair backflip!"

Lucy laughed. "Give me that thing."

Jack surrendered the toy and then his glance stuck on her. His breathing changed. "Cute outfit."

Lucy grinned and patted the couch. "C'mere kitty."

She leapt up and collapsed. Lucy scratched her ears and indicated for Jack to try it. He did, tentatively. Mel purred and he beamed. 

"Hey, she's warming up to me I think."

"Good kitty. She's so tired. You wore her out."

Jack got a nickel out of his pocket. "Heads or tails for the bed?"

"Heads."

He flipped and it came up Tails. "We can do best of 3."

Lucy called it in the air again and again and lost every time. Jack seemed annoyed with the nickel. "You take the bed. I've got to take a shower."

He disappeared into the bathroom. She climbed under the covers and listened to the water run for a few minutes. When he came out, no steam wafted out after him. It had been a cold shower. His Knightly composure was back.

Lucy hid her grin under the edge of her blanket as he turned out the lights and settled on the couch.

"Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Am I just being really mean, torturing you like this?

"It's torture," he laughed a low sexy laugh, "but I don't know how mean it is."

She pressed her face into the pillow until her racing heart slowed down. "Good night."

"Good night."

***

The next morning, Lucy woke up first. The apartment was silent. No noise from neighbors. No nearby traffic sounds. No ringing phone. Was she alone?

She sat up, and then had to crawl to the foot of the bed to see Jack was face first, half off the couch, sound asleep with Mel curled on his back. His shirt was bunched up, revealing half a freckled back, and his butt was quite plump looking in those boxers. His thighs were furry and well shaped too. It was all so cute, she covered her face.

She didn't want to wake him. They had actually wound up talking until the wee hours, so he needed rest. 

She took the cordless phone downstairs and called the cheapest travel agency in the yellow pages. 

Halfway through the process of booking the flights, Jack appeared, sleep-rumpled and cuddling the cat. He kissed Lucy's head.

"Perfect timing," she said. "Give them all your information."

"For what?"

"For booking. There's a five pm flight tomorrow."

"Hey, alright!" He took the phone happily. She kissed his forehead. "I've got a lot to coordinate with your mom. Love you."

"Love you more," he said, twisting to watch her go back up the stairs before his attention snapped to the person on the phone. "Sorry, what was the question?"

Smiling with the tip of her tongue between her teeth, Lucy ran to get ready for the rest of her life.


	2. The Wedding

After several hours of checking off a To-Do list about a mile long, Lucy got out of the shower at her apartment to find Jack in her kitchen, putting finishing touches on an iced cake. He’d used white icing as a base and then made a silvery looking kind of icing for a swirling design around the sides and up over the edges.

“Oh my god, _Jack_!” Lucy cried. “It’s beautiful! How did you do that?”

He had flour on his flannel shirt and icing up his forearms. And he’d clearly been licking the batter spoon. The counter was a mess. He waved a hand. “There’s a little kit that has a kind of glittery food coloring stuff you add in. You put it in a bag and squeeze it out. Then it’s just like drawing. Not hard.”

Lucy felt like crying. When she’d elected to have a home made cake for her wedding, she’d envisioned the lopsided kind of creation she always struggled to produce. She stomped her foot, because she was so happy she didn’t know what else to do. He scooped her up and kissed her.

“He can make furniture _and_ pastries,” she purred, kissing him. “I knew you were trouble the moment I saw you.”

“Well, hey, maybe if my furniture venture flops we can open a bakery.”

“Let’s go ahead and do both. They come in for the cakes, and they leave with a full dining room set.”

He laughed and kissed her. She broke away and gasped. “Is that the time? Jack! I told your mom we’d be at her house already. She’s made dinner for us.”

“It’s alright,” he said calmly, snapping the lid on the cake tray. “We’re the guests of honor. We can be fashionably late.”

“Hurry, come on,” she began gathering the bags they had packed earlier. Jack swept a lot of stuff off the counter and into the trash, putting dishes in the dishwasher and scrubbed icing off his hands at the kitchen sink. Lucy took the bags down to the truck and came back up to triple check she had everything.

“Jack, we’re late!”

“Luce, you can do no wrong with my family, in case you haven’t noticed.”

She snapped her fingers at him repeatedly. “Move your cute tuckus, Jack! Come on!”

“Tuckus?” he lifted an eyebrow with a smile. “What’s a tuckus? Is this my tuckus?” He wiggled his butt at her. She giggled and slapped it.

“Yes, _let’s go_!”

On the drive over, Lucy hummed a contented but tired little hum, and Jack took her hand.

"Tired?"

"A little.”

“Me, too.” He ran a hand down his face and then scrubbed at the nape of his neck. “I wish I could just curl up in bed with you. I wouldn’t even try anything. We’d just sleep.”

Lucy bit her lip with a giggle. “Could _you_ have said no to your mother’s invitation?”

“No, that’s why I made you answer the phone,” Jack chuckled.

“But she’s right. I mean, it just makes sense to stay the night at the house since the wedding is tomorrow.” Lucy pushed her bangs back with a sigh. “And you know we’re going to be gone for two weeks. Dinner is the least we can do.”

“Hey, maybe in the morning, we can declare the breakfast nook a bride and groom only zone. Eat in peace.”

“I’d love that, but we’d have to eat quickly. Celeste said she needs at least two hours to do hair and make up."

"Two hours?” Jack looked askance. “Doesn't she know how beautiful you are when you wake up?"

"It's more of a ritualistic bonding thing.”

Jack huffed and shook his head, “I’m worried Peter’s gonna drag me out for a bachelor's party tonight.”

“Yeah, Celeste tried to insist on having some sort of bachelorette thing but Midge had already invited us to this dinner.”

He gripped her leg. "I apologize for my family. Everyone is so excited to make this official. But I promise they’ll back off once we’re married."

Lucy snorted. “Hmm … Why don’t I believe that?”

Jack snorted too, his hair bobbing over his forehead as he nodded. “Because my mother and sister are busybodies who love you more than they love me?”

They chuckled. She slid over to the middle, kissed him on the cheek and put her head on his shoulder. “I love them. I love you.”

He rested his cheek on her hair. Lucy snuggled in, marveling at how her life was turning out. So much change had already happened and so much more was just around the corner, and yet she didn’t feel frazzled by it. Perhaps after a lifetime of playing it safe, she was ready to just throw caution to the wind. Except she felt no need for caution. She felt safe, even when Jack looked at her and made her feel reckless and wild.

"So what’s left on our To-Do list?” He asked.

“Uh… well, the minister is booked, everyone knows what time to be there, the flight is booked, we’re packed, I have my dress, you have a tux, you’ve made the cake, Mary is going to look after Mel, and we’ve spoken to our clients about a delay in when they’ll get their custom furniture since you’ll be overseas for the next two weeks.”

“God, you’re amazing. You planned a wedding and a honeymoon in a day."

“Thaaaaat was mostly just reigning in your mother as she did all the work."

"My point exactly." He sighed. "Ma can be a lot when she gets excited."

"A tiny part of me was afraid your family would be cynical of how quickly we're doing this. I mean a week ago, I was at the altar with Peter. But they haven't missed a beat."

"C'mon they understand what the Peter stuff was. And they trust us when we say this is real."

"I know. That go-with-the-flow endless wave of support is… it's what I love about them. Reminds me of my dad. He was always positive."

"What would he say about his little girl marrying a guy she met fifteen days ago?"

Lucy sucked air through her teeth with a wince. And Jack exaggerated a gasp of offense, but he actually did experience a slice of hurt. "Wait a minute, are you saying I'm disgracing his memory by whisking you away like this?"

"No, no, no," Lucy cuddled him. "I'm sorry, it was a joke. Daddy would love you. I swear. He always liked the people who made me smile. And if he was here for me to tell him how much I love you, and how well you treat me, he'd be asking why I didn't just save the time and energy and marry you that day in the hospital."

Jack smirked, "So hit the pause button on the ceremony, swap out the groom for the best man and then hit play?"

Lucy fell out laughing. "Exactly. He'd have loved a twist like that."

***

Jack was surprised by a few extra faces at the dinner table. He recognized Lucy's friend Celeste and her boss Jerry from the hospital ceremony. There was also Joe Jr and Mr. Fusco. And even Wanda the nurse. Except for the priest, literally everyone who was invited to the wedding was there. Jack leaned in close to Lucy, “You don’t think they’re trying to make sure this wedding happens as quickly as possible do you?”

Lucy snorted and muffled her laughter, knocking an elbow into him.

He stayed close. “Better not let Joe Jr come. He could object and start a riot.”

She shoved him away with a giggle. Jerry and Celeste moved in to hug Lucy, offering her congratulations. Wanda hugged her with a squeal and a little jumping dance as if they’d been best friends since grade school. Jack melted to the side and shook hands with the fellas. 

“Isn’t this FUN?” Midge shrieked. “Since we’re working within a tight time frame here, I figured, why not get everyone together for an engagement party? Jack, sweetheart, come look at this.” she dragged him to the basement door. He looked down into the rec room and saw folding tables and extra chairs.

“We have everything set up downstairs for a poker tournament bachelor's party for you and the boys. Innit that FUN?”

He huffed, “Yeah, ma, it’s great. Thanks.”

Peter leaned in. “She heard me trying to make arrangements to sneak you to a strip joint and intervened. Sorry, bro.”

“I prefer _poker_ ,” Jack said firmly.

“Sure,” Peter winked.

“And LUCY!” Midge rushed to her and took her hands. “I know you said you don’t need decorations, but I went ahead and got a bunch of things, so all us girls are going to stay up here and decorate and gab and dance while the boys are smoking and gambling downstairs. FUN, right?”

Lucy blushed and smirked, “Uh, yeah, it sounds… it sounds uh…” she met Jack’s eye. He raised an eyebrow and they said together, “ _fun_.”

As Lucy burst out a giggle, Jack’s spine tingled. God, he loved that woman.

Downstairs with all the guys, Jack settled in for a good poker game. He had played against Pop, Saul, and Peter so often that they refused to play with him most of the time, tired of him whipping their butts. But with Jerry and the Fusco family rounding out the game, they were in good spirits. 

As the game progressed, Peter, Saul, and Joe Jr delivered all the typical bachelor party rhetoric. Jack was toast, Jack was dead, Jack was never getting laid again in his whole life, etc. 

Dad threw in random marriage advice here and there, which Jack appreciated more than he knew how to express. Jerry and Mr. Fusco surprised him with the fact that they had both known Lucy's father very well during his fight against cancer.

Jack's only account of the man so far had been Lucy's rose colored version, so he asked a lot of questions until he had a clearer picture. The man hadn't been perfect, but what father was? His only fault had been expecting too much from Lucy, wanting her to travel the world, to get a college degree, and to find a good man, then resenting her for becoming his nursemaid instead while relying on her to do so. Jack could see why she preferred to focus on the good memories.

They were about halfway through the evening before Jack realized this was no longer a friendly bachelor party game. Joe Jr, Mr Fusco, and Jerry had begun grilling him about how well he knew Lucy. 

The Callaghan side of the table fell silent, spectators. They were equally curious whether or not Jack was jumping in blind.

He answered Joe Jr's rapid fire questions that covered the basics from her shoe size to her favorite color. Mr. Fusco had deeper questions, about whether they had a good financial plan, or if they knew which chores they would each be responsible for in the house, and if they knew how to make up properly after a fight.

Jerry was the one setting traps. He didn't ask questions, he made statements that were sometimes false in hopes that Jack would fall for it. 

But Jack knew all the answers, because he knew her. _Somehow_ , after only a couple of weeks, he just knew her. He had to sit and think on some of them, because she hadn't outright told him, yet, but there was always a clue in what she had shared that helped him make an educated guess. 

Fortunately landlords and work-dad's could only know so much about a woman. Jack soon had the upper hand, revealing facts about his fiance no one else at the table knew. 

"She's got the cutest little snore when she's really asleep." Jack said, grinning fondly at the memory. It had been closer to a little beep than a chainsaw. 

Joe Jr rolled his eyes. "So you've watched her sleep. That don't mean nothing."

"Okay, then what about her recurring dream?"

Lucy had managed to share her recurring dream during their walk across Chicago. 

Mr Fusco folded immediately. Jerry squinted, trying to recall any workplace chat about dreams. Joe Jr shrugged. "What's it, like, being naked in public? because we all have that one."

"No. And I've certainly never had that dream."

A chorus of "Me either," went around the table and Joe Jr pursed his lips and held up his hands for a Whatever.

"Hers is just the one where you're running in slow motion." Jack said.

"I hate that one," Jerry said. "Especially when I'm late for work. 

They went around the table, placing bets and sharing their recurring dreams. 

"I sometimes dream that I've lost all my teeth." Peter said with a shudder.

"That's fear of old age. Me, I fly like Superman," Ox said happily. 

"Hey, me too!" Saul said. They continued to talk about the wonderful sensation of flight as Mr Fusco claimed to never dream, or at least could never remember it if he did.

"Well, Jack, do you have one?" Saul asked. 

Jack had already shared with Lucy when she slept over, so felt comfortable retelling it again. "I used to have one where I searched for a bathroom and when I found one the toilets were broken or missing completely. Or I'd stand in line forever and when I finally got my turn there were no stall doors, or it was showers instead."

Peter pulled a face. "Yeesh. Not sure I want to know the meaning behind that one."

"Usually I woke up having pee." Jack shrugged.

"Boring."

"But Lucy figures it's about a need for privacy and she might be onto something," Jack said. "The dreams did stop after I moved into my own place."

"Well, that's on you. Living with Ma n' pop until you were, what, twenty six?" Peter said. He had left home at 18 and came back only for major holidays, weddings, and select funerals.

"Ain't nothing wrong with that," Joe Jr said. 

"Alright boys, show em." Jack said, spreading his winning hand on the table.

***

While all the men were downstairs, Elsie played her favorite records and Mary and Midge strung up white twinkle lights around the house. Lucy arranged the flowers. (It’d been Jerry's wedding gift to pay for enough flowers to cover every surface.) Celeste had paid for the bolts of white muslin that she looped and pleated prettily around the stairs using rubber bands and a hair straightener.

Joe Jr had rented a dry ice machine so that she would glide down the hallway (the aisle) on a soft cloud underlit by more twinkle lights. “OH! Won’t that BE BEAUUUUTIFUL?” Midge shrieked. “OH GAHD! I should get a professional photographer over here to make sure we really capture the moment! Don’t you think, Ma? Oh, who do we know? Who did Cousin Margot’s wedding?”

“No, no, no,” Lucy begged. “Don’t. It’s alright. This is already so much more than I expected.”

With so little time to plan, Lucy never expected her second wedding in as many weeks to be so much more beautiful than the first. But in just under two hours, the first floor of the house was transformed. More pleated muslin and flowers highlighted the living room archway where they would say their vows. The dining room table had Midge's wedding china laid out with Jack’s wedding cake in the middle.

Decorating with the girls, Lucy talked and laughed and sang and danced and, more than once, cried with happiness. Midge treated Celeste and Wanda like old friends. 

At one point, Jack stuck his head out of the basement door.

"Lucy!" he called. When she came to him, he kissed her and looped an arm around her waist. "Peter's on some kind of freak winning streak. He’s whipping my butt. He's won almost all of my pretzels. I need you for luck. C'mon."

So the decorating party moved down to the rec room. Celeste was dealt into the game. Lucy sat on Jack's knee and got pinched every time she ate a pretzel. Wanda and Elsie started an epic connect four tournament in the corner. Midge took pictures and Saul had control of the record player.

Well past midnight, everyone turned in. All the guests had been invited to stay and had happily taken up the offer. It turned out Ox had a truly impressive air mattress collection. Mary fetched quilts and told Lucy the family history of each one. This one was all Peter's baby clothes. This one was Jack's baseball uniforms. This one was Eslies wedding dress.

Lucy and Jack slept upstairs in separate rooms. She got Jack's old room. Jack bunked with Peter in Peter's room. Celeste bunked with Lucy.

"Do you know what the craziest part of all of this is?" Celeste asked.

"Um… I'm going to go out on a limb and say... the moment I objected to my own wedding and declared my love for the best man?"

Celeste laughed. "That part _was_ crazy, girl, no arguing with you, but what's even crazier? That none of this is crazy."

"Thanks for saying that."

"I mean it. The way he looks at you, the way you look at him. How much you laugh when you're with him. You two make me believe in magic."

***

Unused to being pampered, Lucy got restless about twenty minutes into the hair and make-up routine the next morning. Early that morning, Elsie had nixed the private breakfast nook idea declaring that they couldn’t see each other until the ceremony. So Mary brought Lucy her breakfast in on a tray and they let her pick at it as they curled her hair and added pin after pin after pin. She had to eat one handed because Wanda did her nails.

“Do you have your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?” Mary asked.

Lucy smacked her lips. “I totally forgot!”

“Not to worry,” Midge giggled. “Ma’s been on top of it.”

Elsie sat next to her with a small dresser drawer in her lap. “I spent most of yesterday combing this house for some options," she said. Lucy saw that the drawer was filled with lots of odds and ends like jewelry and handkerchiefs and brooches and coins and photographs and even some loose buttons.

“Oh my god,” Lucy laughed.

“Grandma is _crazy superstitious_ about weddings.” Mary warned.

Lucy poked around in the drawer happily. “But wait, you didn’t make sure I had this stuff when I was going to marry Peter.”

“I tried,” Elsie sniffed. “But I was overruled. Which is why that wedding didn’t happen!” The second part was louder, pointed and directed at Midge.

“She didn’t love him, Ma, ok?” Midge said with an edge of warning in her voice. “And don’t bring that up again.”

“I didn’t bring it up. _She’s_ the one that brought it up!” Elsie argued. She put a hand on Lucy’s knee. “You’re not ashamed of that day, are you, my dear?”

“Well,” Lucy blushed. She was actually really ashamed of it. Not of stopping the wedding and making her speech, but of having let the situation get that far in the first place.

“Ma!” Midge warned.

“Lucy, you did nothing to be ashamed of!” Elsie said firmly, holding her eye contact. “Do you know how many women walk down an aisle towards a man they don’t love? But you had the backbone to do what was right rather than what was polite!”

“Grandma,” Mary admonished.

“What good does it do to sweep it all under the rug? The girl made a mistake!” Elsie said, “and mistakes are not the end of the world.” She giggled and leaned in. “Lucy, we’re all of us just bumping around through this crazy life. The best we can do is grab what’s good with both hands, the moment it shows up in front of us.”

Lucy blinked back tears and hugged the older woman. “Thank you, Elsie.”

“Grandma,” she corrected. “Call me grandma, dear.”

Mary had been rifling through the drawer. “Oh, Lucy look at this!”

Lucy dashed away tears and picked out her good luck charms.

***

Lucy said I do, then Jack said it, and then they kissed as man and wife. It was the happiest moment of her life, undercut with melancholy that her father wasn't alive to share in it. Jack cupped her face, eyes full of love and understanding.

Elsie snapped one million pictures. Mary pointed at her watch. "Come on, hurry, or you'll miss the train!"

"Hang on, Jack and I have to get changed first."

Mary hefted a duffle. "I've got clothes for both of you."

"But--"

"Just get in the car," Peter ordered. 

"Wait what? But the cake--”

“That’s all taken care of. Let’s go. Everyone out!”

“Whoa, hold on, is everyone coming?"

"We have to see you off."

They drove to the train station in Jack's truck with the rest of the family in Saul's station wagon. Jack drummed his thumbs on the wheel. "We weren't getting out of it that easy. They're up to something."

Lucy snorted. "Oh God, what could it be?

"Eyedunno."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, sensing that Jack was not being truthful. 

"Jack. What is going on?"

He took her hand and kissed it. "You'll see."

It was a surprise wedding reception. Lucy's friends had somehow coordinated with the Callaghans to set up a reception in the caboose of the train. It even had the Just Married banner on the back of it. 

Lucy covered her mouth and nose, trying not to cry and ruin her mascara. 

"We've got the whole car reserved so we can all drink and party on the way to the airport together." Peter said. "I thought of it."

"After I gave him the idea," Celeste corrected. The look Peter gave Celeste, and the look that Celeste gave back, made Lucy giggle and make a mental note to spend some girl time with Celeste and dish. She already knew that Celeste had stuck around to watch the drama after the failed hospital wedding, but she hadn't realized her friend had spoken to Peter.

"Guys, it's perfect! Thank you so much!" she kissed Peter on the cheek, causing the brothers to have a playful showdown as Lucy hugged Celeste.

When the train pulled out of the station, the Conductor announced the happy couple: Mr. and Mrs. Jack Callaghan. They cut the cake and fed it to each other. Ox turned on an old boombox, and they had their first dance together on a moving train surrounded by friends and family.

Mary was allowed to have 1 glass of champagne so long as she sipped it. Celeste gave a bridesmaid speech that brought Lucy to tears. Jerry kept playfully bribing her to reconsider her career change. 

Peter drank a little too much before delivering his best man speech which veered sharply toward an inappropriate area before Saul cut him off.

Jack rolled his lips and leaned in to murmur in Lucy's ear. "Sorry. I shouldn't've told him."

"Oh, Lucy already told us," Mary said brightly. "Everybody knows what he was going to say."

"Know what?" Ox asked.

"Nothing," Jack said firmly. Lucy laughed and buried her face in his lapel.

"Okay, young lady, you're cut off. Now zip that lip." Midge ordered. 

Mary's giggles halved. "What? I didn't say anything."

"What the hell is everyone not saying?" Ox asked. 

"It's not important." Midge said.

"Are you going to tell me later?" Ox asked quietly. 

The car was too small for anyone to have a private aside. Lucy and Jack grinned at each other as Midge insisted. "Just forget it, Ox. For crying out loud."

Lucy was glad to reach the airport. They changed in the bathroom, and Midge took the wedding clothes off their hands.

"I've got it all, sweetie. Don't worry about it." She cupped Lucy's face, "Have a safe flight. I love you both!"

"Love you!" Lucy called over her shoulder.

"See ya in 2 weeks!" Jack called.

Peter cupped his hands around his mouth, "Go get 'er, tiger!"

Jack looked back to give his brother a mean face and tripped. Lucy caught him and they stumbled. Laughing, they regained footing, and ran to their gate.

Standing in line at the terminal, Jack wrapped his arms around Lucy, and they recounted to each other their favorite parts of the reception, cackling and snickering.

On the plane, Lucy's knees bounced. Jack side eyed her. 

"You're not excited are ya?"

"Me? No. I go to Europe all the time."

"Yeah, me too. Seen one Renaissance city, ya seen 'em all."

Lucy laughed. "Oh man, it's going to be so great. Ya know that famous statue David? It's there. We'll get to lay eyes on the real thing," she hit his knee, "But you know what? Your butt's cuter."

Jack was flattered speechless, and squeezed her hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The plane took off. With Jack beside her, cracking her up every couple of minutes and kissing her twice as often, it didn't even feel like a ten hour flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: Florence coming soon


	3. Florence

The city was stunning. Thanks to the best travel agent ever, they made it to their hotel with very little trouble. 

"Am I supposed to carry you in or is that only for the threshold of the home we'll share?"

"Let's not risk the jinx, and you can carry me over both."

"Deal."

He scooped her up and then discovered that opening the door was trickier than he thought. Then when they were inside, the bed was much further away than he realized--the room was huge--and when he rushed to get her over the bed before he dropped her, he tripped on the rug and ended up careening. They landed in a heap of laughter on the floor right beside the bed, having caught themselves on the edge before they really got hurt.

"Did I become a Callaghan or did you become a Moderatz?" Lucy teased through her laughter.

"I thought Europe was cramped and old," Jack snickered. "This room is huge and brand new." he rolled over and just laid on the rug on his back. "Whoa. Cool ceiling."

Lucy laid next to him. It was a much more intricate ceiling than any she'd seen in America. "Well this ceiling is already worth the trip."

Jack chortled, "Do you mean the ten hour plane ride or the fall?"

Lucy dissolved into laughter. "I love that we keep falling."

"And falling and falling," Jack added softly, taking her hand. She turned her head to look at him, he turned his to look at her. They kissed.

Eventually they sat up and dealt with their luggage and then acquainted themselves with the room. Jack checked his watch. "By our time it is 3 am. And by Florence time it is 10 in the morning."

"I'm not tired, I slept on the plane."

"Me, too," Jack grinned. "I guess my question is, how do you want to do this? Technically, our wedding night was spent in coach 35 thousand feet up in the air so…"

Lucy had spent 10 hours thinking about it and had her answer. She shrugged, "I'm done waiting if you are."

He caught his breath--clearly not expecting that answer or that casual tone--and exhaled. "Yeah, that works for me."

She snorted and giggled. "It works for you?" she teased.

"Yeah," he chuckled bashfully. "I think I can pencil you into my busy Florence schedule, some time soon" he mimed writing small letters in the air. "Say in about… half an hour? This suite has his and hers showers." he motioned to two doors on the other side of the room. "Let's wash the plane off and…" his eyes dragged over her, "be married."

Lucy bit her lip and collected her bags. "That works for me."

He laughed, and she laughed and they almost mirrored each other step for semi awkward step toward the side-by-side doors.

At his door, Jack lingered awkwardly, so Lucy lingered at hers, too. Jack huffed and grinned at her, "See ya on the other side, then."

"OK," Lucy said sweetly.

***

Twenty minutes later, Lucy toweled off, and brushed her teeth and freed her hair from the shower cap before she stepped into the wedding lingerie. Shopping for panties with two elder ladies and a teenager had been an exercise in maturity and confidence and keeping a straight face. Elsie really was a share-all kind of lady.

As far as the selection had gone, what she had picked out was modest. Lacy and silky, white and just this side of see through in strategic places. It did manage to cover the parts that Lucy was more insecure about yet accentuate her better assets.

As she checked the fit in the mirror, she reminded herself, "No matter what he says, never tell him his grandmother picked it out." 

The resulting mental picture had her snorting and snickering.

"Lucy?" Jack's voice called from the room. She had heard his shower go off some time ago while she was still shaving her… everything.

With a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and stepped out into a room full of daylight. Jack was on the bed, under the covers. Shirtless. Beautiful.

The way his jaw went slack and he sat up and smiled and bent his knees to tent the covers over his lap made her giggle.

"Ta daa," she sang and wiggled her hips. "Special wedding night lingerie."

"C'mere," he growled.

She ran on light feet and jumped, landing beside him on her knees and in the same instant, with a bear kind of roar, he caught her up in his arms and laid her on the pillows.

"Stop surprising me all the time or I'm going to get bored of surprises," he rumbled as she got herself under the covers and discovered that her husband was, in fact, naked and ready to go.

She giggled as he moved over her and kissed her…

***

Some time later, Lucy was finally used to being naked in the broad daylight of a strange room in a strange bed. No longer caring what the sheet covered or didn't cover, she stretched out in the rumpled bed and flipped through the travel guide as Jack ordered room service.

"I like Florence so far, don't you?"

He smiled, "Yeah between the ceiling and you, and having you  _ between _ me and the ceiling? It's definitely magical."

"Oh so you like having me between you and the ceiling, Huh?" she giggled as she rolled on top of him.

He exhaled as he beamed up at her with love and no shy dose of reverence. "Oh ho-ho yeah. Definitely the best sight in all of Italy." 

"That's probably true," Lucy grinned. "but since I can't see it, I want to go see David."

"I'm not really interested in a naked guy right now."

She laughed and pinched his nipple. "I am."

"Well you're sitting right on top of one, you know."

Room service interrupted them. Lucy darted into the bathroom and Jack wrapped the sheet around his waist as he answered the door and told them where to set up the meal.

****

The next day, Jack went to get more wine. Lucy decided to grab an Italian newspaper to keep for prosperity...

"Luuucyyyyy," he sing-songed as he snuck into the room with the bottle of wine. "There's new stuff I wanna try…"

A stranger stood in the middle of the room. A middle aged woman in a denim jacket. Jack straightened in surprise. "Who are you?"

Lucy came out of the bathroom with an entire roll of toilet paper against her nose, drenched in blood.

"What the hell happened?" Jack rushed to his wife.

"Nothing nothing, I'm fine," Lucy hurried to say. "The ground was uneven."

"She tripped on the cobblestones," the woman said. She was Italian. "Her face hit the edge of a cafe table."

Kneeling in front of her, Jack had a closer look. Besides the bloody nose, her face had a skin mark but otherwise she was fine.

"I don't think it's broken," she said.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry I wasn't there."

She grinned, "Why? I'd have taken us both down. Like always."

He tried not to laugh and shook his head. "Falling with you is the best, though, right?"

The stranger cleared her throat. "OK. You are in loving hands so I'll go. I'm glad you're OK."

"Thanks again for your help, Marina." Lucy called as the woman closed the door on her way out. "Gah, you know the locals are such nice people."

"Is it still bleeding?" Jack asked, worried. "Tilt your head back."

"I think it's stopped. I'm fine, Jack. Besides, you know, the part where I was humiliated in front of a very large cross section of world travelers." she laughed as she said it.

"It's not funny," Jack said even as he smiled.

Lucy went back to the bathroom and Jack followed. He wet a rag and helped wipe her face. He couldn't believe it but she really was ok. "How do you make even the bad stuff something to laugh about?"

She shrugged. "A gift of positivity. I learned it from my dad."

"I want to teach our kids to live like that."

She bit her lip. "Looking forward to that Callaghan son?"

"Actually," he said, "I kinda want a daughter first."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Girls are smarter. Mom swore Mary was a genius after having two boys first."

Lucy laughed, snorting.

"Jack Junior won't have to be smart if he gets his father's looks."

"A good poker face would also help," Jack grinned. "Or so I may have heard."

Lucy sucked air through her teeth. "oooh, poker. No. Not with my genes. I have a huge gambling addiction, you know. Runs in the family. Did I never tell you?"

Jack blinked and Lucy cracked up. "Kidding! I'm kidding!"

He sighed and Lucy cupped his face, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. "Oh my god, you're face! You were so scared!"

"Not funny!" he growled and he picked her up in a fireman's hold, brought her out to the bedroom and dumped her on the bed.

"So," she giggled, stretching out sensually for him. "Did I hear you telling that perfect stranger that you wanted to do new things to me?"

"You might have heard something like that."

***

Sweaty and breathless, they  smiled up at the cool ceiling and high-fived.

"I love this city."

She snickered and rolled onto her belly. "Okay, but we are actually going to go out and see it, right? Not that I don't want more sex with you because it's, oh Nelly. But y'know. Coulda stayed in Chicago for this. I want to see the sights."

"Yer right," he moved her hair and kissed her neck, fingers fluttering over the back of her thighs, where it turned out she was super ticklish. She squirmed and kicked her heels to stop it. His voice was soft in her ear. "You're beautiful and right. We'll go at first light."

She let out a breath of wonder. "Oh that rhymed, I liked it. I feel like I'm making love to a Renaissance poet."

"Roses are red, and lilies are white…. Your nose looks like ya got in a fight."

She laughed loudly and touched the tender cut across the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. With gravity…"

He chuckled. "What am I gonna do with thee?"

She poked him with each word. "Show. Me. Italy."

His eyes narrowed, chin off set as he struggled to think of a rhyme to follow up. They descended into laughter.

"Damn. This is getting hard!"

Her knee brushed his cock. "Yeah, I think it is."

His laugh turned strangled and he went breathless as she disappeared under the blankets. 

***

Managing to get sunburned in January, unbalanced on legs that ached from an entire day of roaming the city, so full of food their pants were too tight, Lucy and Jack made it back to the hotel room alive, and collapsed together on the freshly made bed. 

"Okay," she said weakly, "Sightseeing done. We bought souvenirs for the family. Let's just have tons of sex until our plane leaves next week."

He sounded so tired, "Roger that."

***

Lots of practice later, Lucy emerged from under the blanket to see Jack rubbing stars out of his eyes, chest heaving. "How lucky can a guy get?"

She giggled, spitting very ladylike into an ashtray.

"I feel like a king!" he shouted, making her laugh. He tickled her and shouted again, "I'm a powerful king and you are my elegant queen."

She snorted. "Elegant? Really? I literally tripped and bashed in my face the other day."

"You're thinking of Graceful. I'm talking about how beautiful you are."

"I've never been called elegant before."

"No other word for it," he said, tracing her jawline and her nose, her collarbone. "When I give furniture these kinds of lines and angles people always call it elegant."

She bit her lip, giggling with pure happiness, and excused herself to the bathroom. When she returned, Jack was dozing on his face, his butt as cute as the first time she saw him like this, only naked now. He struck her as a perfect Greek statue. Some kind of slain hero. She'd killed him with sex, which warranted a mental high five a little happy dance.

She didn't see him crack an eyelid until he cracked up laughing. She startled, embarrassed to be caught. He rolled over, gesturing for her to join him, "I'm not done with you yet."

Her belly fluttered. "No?"

"Nope," he pulled her onto the bed for something slower than usual. It could have been pure exhaustion that kept them from revving the engines, but Lucy hardly cared. She loved having Jack so close. It was lovely to bask in it in a bed soaked in the warm sunshine of Italy. 

The orgasm that he tempted out of her made her thighs shake as she gasped his name helplessly. 

He lashed her to his chest in the least playful tackle so far. He was kind of shaking. "I love you so much it hurts."

Her heart skipped a beat and she held him back, whispering, "Me too."

He laughed, self conscious.

She toyed with the hair on his chest. "That was beautiful."

He breathed deeply, clearly desperate to move away from the vulnerable moment. But then he halted the breath and said, "Yeah. I kinda want to go to church just to thank the big guy."

She hummed, amused. 

"I'm serious. All my prayers have been answered. All I ever really wanted was to have my own business and start a family with the perfect woman. And it's happening. Step for step..."

As Jack began describing the life waiting for them back home, going into mesmerizing detail about their house and their babies, chills swept over Lucy's entire body.

Jack lifted his head off the pillow and looked at her goose pimpled arm across his chest.

"Whoa," she sat up, tucking the blanket under her arms like it was day 1 again. Her heart was pounding. "I think. Jack, I think the ghost of my dad just passed right through me."

His eyebrows telegraphed surprise and skepticism, then pure curiosity "What makes you say that?"

"He used to say Life Never Turns Out The Way You Plan. And he's right! I thought we were safe because I planned on marrying Peter and we happened instead, but what about your side of it? Y'know? If your plans are working out so far then--oh, man, this is bad. I've got a bad feeling like. Oh god. What if I can't bear you those children?"

He snorted and scoffed. "Lucy. C'mon."

"I'm serious, Jack! It's going to be something we're just taking for granted. Something we just have every right to expect to happen and then it won't. Or, oh god. It could be the other way around. It could be something we would never expect to happen, happening! I could get suddenly really sick like Dad did! Oh my god!"

"Calm down. Calm down!" he hugged her tight and let her cry it out. "You're taking the expression pretty literally, aren't ya? Nothing turns out exactly as planned, right? I mean, I never planned on working for my dad this long, but I did. I never planned on stealing my brother's fiance, but I did."

Lucy breathed evenly and sniffed, feeling silly. "You're right. Sorry."

"You were scared. I get it." he didn't sound like he got it fully, but he was still nonjudgmental.

A tear slipped down her face. "I'm scared we won't get to be a family."

"We already are a family.".

But no matter what logical reasoning he continued to whisper to her, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were about to get a curve ball. Death could take him away from her, or her from him, or their children--

How could she have thought she would be happy forever? The other shoe had to drop eventually.

Jack was her rock. He refused to believe anything bad was going to happen. 

They made love defiantly that night, and the remaining nights too. She tried not to worry about anything.

She worried about everything. 

In their last venture through the city for more photos, a car veered out of control and crashed into a parked car just feet away from their little make out spot.

Lucy went pale. "Shit!"

Jack laced their fingers and kissed the back of her hand. "We're okay. Just a coincidence."

"Uh-huh." She tried to shake it off, but death was everywhere.

In the airport, she kept looking over her shoulder like prey. Jack was uncharacteristically quiet about it. 

When their flight was boarding, she was antsy. 

"What if the plane crashes?" she finally asked.

His lips smacked. "Plan for it to crash and it won't."

"That's not funny."

He exhaled slowly and handed over their tickets. In their seats, he seemed to lose a battle with himself. 

"All the sudden, you're superstitious."

She blinked. "Is that a deal breaker?"

"It's just not very level headed."

"Level headed? Jack, I'm the girl who fell in love with a complete stranger. I'm the girl who lied about being engaged to a guy in a coma. What part of any of that spells level headed?"

Her voice had carried. Other passengers gave them looks. Jack scowled. "That stuff was cute, y'know, in that lonely orphan looking for a family way. But now it's like you want something bad to happen--"

"Lonely orphan?

He went stiff and defensive. "Well. You were."

She exhaled and shook her head, letting that go. "I'm just talking about the inevitable, okay? Life is shitty sometimes, Jack. What are you planning on doing about it, if, say, your business doesn't take off, or--"

He inhaled as if stung. "You don't think the business will take off?"

"I'm not saying it can't. I just want to know if you have any sort of back up plan."

"I thought plans were meaningless?"

Her jaw dropped at his snarky tone. "Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"You're acting mad."

"I'm not mad. I just don't think we need to be discussing this right now."

Lucy backed off. It was a long, quiet flight. 

Jack cooled off and took her hand at one point. She smiled at him. "Okay. Maybe I got a little carried away."

He grinned. "Nah. It was cute."

Her smile faded. "Cute? You're supposed to say I'm not crazy."

"Whoa. Did I miss something? You're the one who described herself as the crazy girl who fell in love with a coma guy--"

"I did not say crazy!"

"Yes you did."

"Crazy about impending doom not how we met!"

"C'mon, it was a little crazy."

"I thought it was Cute?"

He rolled his lips together, shaking his head. Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. The remainder of the flight was Cold. 


	4. Home

Peter and Mary were at the gate to greet them, which was a real surprise. Jack had been expecting Midge or Ox. They automatically moved closer to each other and attempted to appear like the blissfully happy couple who had left. 

Mary bought it but Peter clocked their cool demeanor and winced when only Jack could see. It didn't help his annoyance level.

"What are you doing here guys? We were expecting Ox to bring the truck." Lucy said, hugging Mary.

"Well, we couldn't wait to see you!" Mary said sweetly.

"Hey, I thought you were a busy hotshot lawyer?" Jack teased Peter.

"I told ya I'm a New Man. I've cut back my hours. Trying to be a family guy."

"Well, alright." He gave him a hug. While close, Peter asked lowly, "Trouble in paradise?"

"Man, am I tired." Jack answered loudly to stem any plans of going back to The House to share photos and stories about Italy that seemed to be unfolding between Lucy and Mary.

Mary looked disappointed but Lucy might have been relieved and good at hiding it. 

Peter and Mary helped with the luggage and then with more hugs and promises of getting together soon, Jack finally got behind the wheel, dreaming about bed and peace and quiet.

***

They didn't talk in the car. They barely spoke as they unpacked their luggage. Jack went straight to bed and buried his head under pillows. Lucy put all the gifts for the family in a tote bag and then took a shower to get the plane off of her.

She couldn't wash off her annoyance with her husband. 

Jack Callaghan was literally the only person on the planet who knew her inside and out, and yet he scoffed at her very real fear.

But it wasn't that simple. She knew Jack better than she knew anyone else, and so she not only knew what he was thinking, she understood it.

Jack was just enough of a church going guy to believe that everything was in God's hands, and everything happened for a Reason. Lucy wished she had that kind of built in faith to fall back on. But having been raised by a broken hearted widower, the only reference to God she had been taught--totally unconsciously on his part she was sure--was that God was the person who took people away to Heaven.

So believing in God right now totally didn't help her fear of losing the love of her life.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her deep reverie. She found tears on her face which she smeared away quickly but Jack opened the door in time to see. 

His expression went from timid to caring with one hard breath. He dried her face with his thumbs. "I don't like not talking to you."

"Me either."

"I'm sorry I got mad. I think I was just overtired."

"No, I got a little crazy about being jinxed. I just want the life you described to me so much, and now it can't happen exactly like that. I, I honestly believe that, Jack. Humans can't predict the future. So, you know, just by imagining it so clearly, it's not going to happen that way. And I got a little carried away, because it just, you know, kind of broke my heart."

He exhaled and hugged her tightly. "So all your talk about not having babies was about  _ those _ babies specifically." he huffed. "I thought you were going Single White Female on me, like, if I didn't knock ya up, you'd kill me."

She gasped lightly but laughed. "Oh my god, you were basically in a Hitchcock movie weren't you? Whirlwind romance, beautiful virgin wife, and then--" Lucy made the Psycho stabbing sounds as she mimed it. Jack laughed too, catching her waist and pressing against her.

She bumped their noses. "For the record, I'm on the lookout for signs that you have a secret wife and kids in Wichita."

"They're in Buffalo, actually."

She shrieked with laughter and pinched his ass. He kissed her neck and swelled with such a deep breath he doubled in size. She loved it when he did that.

"I'm sorry I ruined our honeymoon. But I just had to mourn them. They were so perfect."

"Nothing was ruined. Listen, those babies were cookie cutter, factory made. A handmade kid like ours is going to have quirks that make it unique, and the beautiful thing about that is, the flaws will be unpredictable."

Lucy took two tries to swallow the lump in her throat. She put their foreheads together. "Now I love you so much it hurts."

Jack carried her to the bed and made love to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this extensive fluffy add on to the movie haha

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter: the wedding, coming soon


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